The proper 130th anniversary party was held later in the evening at Brent Miller. The store sells many popular watch brands, but on the night of the celebration the focus was entirely on Hamilton. Vitrines were filled with rare vintage Hamilton watches, including those that serve to highlight the brand’s connection to the military, the world of movies, and advancements in watchmaking itself through the use of electric movements. What made the night special, and the reason it’s worth covering at all in these pages, was the large turnout of local Hamilton enthusiasts and fans. It was apparent that this relatively small community feels a real connection to Hamilton’s history. Many have stories of parents or grandparents who worked in the factory, and it seemed like a disproportionate number of attendees had their own unique Hamilton watches in tow to proudly show off to other guests and Hamilton CEO Vivian Stauffer.
Just as the Hollywood event saw Hamilton unveil the Black and Gold collection, the Lancaster event saw a new release as well. Though reportedly sold out before the party started, Hamilton took the Lancaster visit as an opportunity to release a new pocket watch. The American Classic Railroad Pocket Watch was made in a run of just 917 pieces (in honor of the factory’s address at 917 Columbia Ave) and is the rare example of a new pocket watch being produced by a large brand. The watch is inspired by classic railroad pocket watches, and features a crisp white dial and large Arabic numerals at each hour in an ornate typeface. The outer minutes track is made up of individual Arabic numerals for all sixty minutes, lending the necessary at-a-glance legibility required for using this watch in a traditional railroading application. A $1,395 pocket watch in 2022 might seem anachronistic, but given the turnout and enthusiasm for Hamitlon in Lancaster (again, a city of fewer than 60,000 people) it’s no surprise that every single one is spoken for.
At 130 years old, Hamilton deserves credit for paying respect to every facet of their story. Their unique place in the industry as a brand that began in the United States and eventually relocated to Switzerland provides for a perspective on the very idea of heritage that no other brand can really share. Here we have a Swiss brand, part of an even larger conglomeration of luxury watchmakers, reaching across an ocean to celebrate an anniversary with people who still hold a deep connection to and respect for that brand. It’s a reminder that many of the biggest names in the watch industry came from humble and surprising beginnings, and of the importance of honoring those beginnings in an authentic way.